"This Black Dragon is truly formidable. It's not much weaker than the One-Eyed Black Dragon that marked the end of the previous era." Hephaestus remarked, her brow furrowed as she watched the flickering images.
Deep within the Guild's underground altar, the gods had gathered to witness the descent.
Ouranos had been utilizing his divine authority to monitor the 75th floor since Leon's party had stepped onto its soil.
At his command, Fels had activated a magical artifact carried by Ais, projecting the brutal reality of the deep floors onto the altar's walls. Word had been sent through the Guild, and the deities of Orario now stood in hushed observation.
"According to the records brought back by the Hera Familia, the Empress was utterly overwhelmed by the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Its strength was estimated to be at least Level 10. This specimen is terrifying, but it is not that." Freya said, shaking her head slightly to dismiss the comparison.
"I agree. It's still a step short of the ultimate disaster." Loki added, nodding in tandem with her rival.
"Perhaps. But even if it hasn't reached Level 10, it is undoubtedly at the absolute peak of Level 9." Ganesha interjected, crossing his arms as he offered an opinion.
Beside him, Shakti, the captain of his Familia, remained silent and focused.
"What is truly unbelievable is the speed of Leon's improvement. He is completely dominating a Level 9 monster. His strength must be at the limit of Level 9, if not already touching Level 10 himself." Hermes chimed in, standing next to a stoic Asfi.
He paused, glancing around at the other gods. "Lucifer found a monster. I've heard rumors that he wandered the lower world for hundreds of years specifically seeking out this one child. Is that true?"
"I don't know for certain, but I suspect as much." One god replied.
"From that perspective, Leon must be the weapon Lucifer prepared to settle the score with the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Lucifer must care deeply for the lower realm to spend centuries searching for such potential. But speaking of which, where is he? Doesn't he care about Leon's safety during this battle?" Another deity mused,
"Who knows? The Guild can't find him, he's vanished into the wind again. That guy's ability to hide is unparalleled," Freya noted, and the conversation dissolved into a flurry of divine speculation.
"Hestia, you don't look well. What are you thinking about?" Hephaestus asked, noticing her friend's deepening scowl.
Artemis, Astraea, Demeter, and Takemikazuchi all turned their curious gazes toward Hestia.
Leon was winning. He was suppressing a legendary calamity with ease. Why did Hestia look so grim?
"I don't know why but I have a terrible feeling. It feels like it's tied directly to that Black Dragon." Hestia admitted, her voice trembling slightly.
She had been watching the battle with growing dread. At first, she couldn't place the sensation, but the more Leon suppressed the black dragon, the more the feeling of impending doom intensified within her.
"An ominous premonition? From the dragon?" Hephaestus exclaimed, her voice rising in shock.
Deities did not experience premonitions lightly. In the realm of the gods, such a feeling was almost a 99% guarantee of a coming reality.
The surrounding gods immediately stopped their chatter and crowded around.
"What is it, Hestia? Tell us quickly." Hermes urged, his playful demeanor vanishing.
"Little one, is it good or bad?" Loki asked, having only caught the tail end of the exclamation.
Even Ouranos, perched on his high throne, shifted his gaze toward Hestia.
"I sense something wrong. Something ominous lurking within that Black Dragon." Hestia explained, hiding nothing from her peers.
The gods turned their eyes back to the magical projection. On the screen, the Black Dragon was no longer trying to strike Leon. Instead, it was arching its neck, roaring fiercely at the very ground beneath its claws.
If a creature of that magnitude were to unleash such a concentrated roar on the surface, Orario would be leveled in seconds.
"What is it doing?" Loki asked, her eyes fixed on the display.
"I suspect it's the same trick as before. It's preparing a desperate attempt to escape the floor." Fels replied.
Meanwhile, on the 75th floor, Leon watched the black dragon's display with narrowed eyes. He didn't move to stop it immediately because he, too, had begun to feel a subtle, shifting sensation in the air.
He wasn't the only one. In the heat of her own battle, Ais plunged her sword through a giant Fomoire and froze.
"What is this feeling?" She murmured to herself, her eyes snapping toward the center of the basin where the Black Dragon continued its terrifying, earth-shaking roar.
An incandescent beam of light erupted from the Black Dragon's maw, a concentrated torrent of energy that instantly vaporized the reinforced bedrock of the dungeon.
The natural lockdown mechanisms of the 75th floor, designed to contain even the most cataclysmic threats, were ineffective against the sheer output of the attack. In a single, world-shaking moment, the ceiling of the 76th floor was breached, connecting the two levels via a jagged, molten crater.
The sudden violence of the blast caused a momentary lull in the wider battlefield.
Finn's group, along with the remaining giant Fomoires and Minotaurs, halted their exchange as the shockwaves rattled their bones.
"What a terrifying roar. Did it just blast through the entire floor structure?" Finn muttered, his voice barely audible over the ringing in his ears.
"If that move had made a direct hit on me, I would have been completely obliterated." Alise said, her lips twitching with a mix of awe and dread.
The others were equally wary. They could feel the residual heat and the lingering pressure. They all knew that had they been the targets, none of them would have survived such a focused attack.
"Something's not right! Look where the dragon aimed its attack!" Tione suddenly shouted, pointing toward the epicenter of the blast.
Everyone's gaze shifted to the smoking crater. Instead of just molten rock, they saw massive, pulsating clumps of green, viscous flesh surging upward in response to the roar.
"That green flesh... is the Corrupted Spirit situated directly below us?" Finn's pupils narrowed into pinpricks.
A chilling realization formed in his mind. "Could it be that the Black Dragon didn't descend to the deeper floors because it was wary of the Corrupted Spirit hidden in the 76th floor?"
This thought resonated with everyone familiar with the Demi Spirits.
In the underground altar on the surface, the gods rose from their seats with solemn expressions.
The threat of the Corrupted Spirit was enormous. Even its clones were Level 7, and merged versions could reach Level 8. A true form situated in the deep floors would undoubtedly be Level 9 or higher.
The gods' concern was palpable. The Black Dragon was already a nightmare, and though Leon was currently suppressing it, the addition of the Corrupted Spirit could tilt the scales toward disaster.
Finn and his team were already at their limits dealing with the giant guardians. They couldn't provide backup, and the black dragon's fear-inducing aura meant their presence might only hinder Leon.
Furthermore, the Corrupted Spirit's ability to create clones made the potential reinforcements from the 76th floor an unknown and terrifying variable.
"Leon! Deal with the dragon quickly! If the Corrupted Spirit emerges, we'll be in serious trouble!" Finn shouted across the basin.
Hearing the command, Leon offered a slight, calm smile. Without turning around, he raised his hand and flashed a clear "OK" sign to the group.
Finn was taken aback by the gesture, as were the others.
Leon had explained the meaning of that gesture early in the expedition: Everything is under control, there is no major problem.
The sight of that casual gesture in the face of two absolute monsters left the group stunned.
A singular, recurring thought echoed in their minds: Is Leon still hiding his true strength? If he was already at the limit of Level 9, has he truly reached the mythic realm of Level 10?
There was no time for further contemplation. The giant Fomoires and Minotaurs, seemingly spurred on by the black dragon's roar, resumed their assault. Finn and the others were forced back into a desperate struggle for survival.